I was going through some old files for eBay listings and found a group of pictures. There was a run of X-Men that I posted some time ago. Apparently I never sold them since they’re in a box I still have. Anyway, for your viewing pleasure and reference, here are 60 various images in 481×754 dimensions of Uncanny X-Men from issues 255-343, plus Annuals 8, 12, 14, and 18. Sorry I don’t have the whole run. Actually, I’m not that sorry. It is what it is. One thing I am sorry about though is that the Media loader in WordPress didn’t put them in numeric order so the comics from 314 forward go until the annuals. Then, the covers pick back up again at 255. Anyway, you’ll get it.

Key highlights:

266-second appearance of Gambit (first appearance was a cameo in Annual #14)

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I was going to save the 400th post for this spot, but after getting a chance to see a special screening for Man of Steel, I had to go with that one first. Sooooo, this is the 401th post that should have been the 400th.

In celebration, I figured it would be fun to show off the covers for some of the major comic book series that have reached the 400th issue. This isn’t supposed to be a comprehensive list, but it’s a lot of them since having a title run to 400 issues means the series has been in steady publication for over 30 years (if the comic comes out in the normal monthly release format).

Except for funny books like Disney, Archie, Dell, Whitman, etc., the majority of the comic books that have arrived at the illustrious number 400 are from Marvel and DC. There are several ongoing gag books, particularly in Europe that have run the total number of issues into the 1000s but we’re focusing mostly on comics with continuous stories — typically superhero tales.

So, here are covers from comic books that have reached the 400th issue. This is not a comprehensive list since I didn’t do much research. If I’ve missed any big ones, leave me a comment.

1. Batman #400 (1986)

I love this comic. It was one of the first comic books I bought back in college. This anniversary comic that actually had some thought put into it. It has a wicked cool Bill Sienkiewicz (pronounced “Bill Smith”) and a fantastic Doug Moench story. It’s a thick comic that has several contributing artists including some of my favorites: Art Adams, Brian Bolland, Michael Kaluta, Rick Leonardi, Steve Lightle, Steve Rude, and Berni Wrighton plus several more.

2. Detective #400 (1970)

What’s cool about this anniversary issue is that it’s not only a Neal Adams issue (the cover and the interior), it’s also the origin and first appearance of the Mat-Bat.

3. Dell Four Color #400: Space Cadet (1952)

Painted cover by Alden McWilliams. I like that. I also like the name of the comic. It’s as unintentionally funny in the modern day context as as Gay Comics (1955). Speaking of gay, here’s a versionwe modified for a bit of fun. As you gaze upon it hum “I Could Have Danced All Night” from My Fair Lady.

4. Uncanny X-Men 400 (2001)

The Uncanny X-Men and its derivatives are titles that we cut our teeth on in the 1980s before they become too confusing and commercial for my tastes in the 1990s. By issue 400, I had actually stopped reading X-Men altogether. Still, cool cover by Ashley Wood.

5. Sgt. Rock #400 (1985)

War comics are hit or miss with me but it’s worth noting that this particular war hero’s stories had a very long run. The series actually began as Our Army at War with a title change to Sgt. Rock in issue #302. Sgt. Rock actually didn’t even enter the series until issue #83. Hmm. Maybe we shouldn’t give this title credit as a 400 issue. Oh, well. Clever cover by Joe Kubert.

6.Amazing Spiderman #400 (1995)

The issue had two different covers, both drawn by Mark Bagley and Larry Mahlstedt. The version shown below is a white embossed special issue of the newsstand version. If you can’t tell, it shows a tombstone with Spider-man swinging in front of it. The storyline is titled Death in the Family and in it, Aunt May or a clone or an actress or an old lady that happens to be Aunt May 269 reveals to Peter Parker or or Ben Reilly or Tom Jones or some sort of doppelgängeror who-knows-what that she has always known he was Spider-man or the Scarlet Spider or Spider-bot or Spider-Balls or something. I can’t keep track of which is who and what is how much.

7. Superman #400 (1984)

8. Fantastic Four #400 (1995)

The cover by Paul Ryan is made from a foil-like substance that refracts colors in a cool way. Is that Dr. Doom on the cover? Does the Thing have boobs? And what’s the deal with the Watchers dying? And where’s Mister Fantastic (Reid Richards)? You can tell we don’t read FF either.

10. Avengers #400 (1996)

11. The Mighty Thor #400 (1988)

12. Action Comics #400 (1971)

Superman sure seems to get a lot of gimmicky covers. Here’s a goofy one by Neal Adams and Dick Giordano.

13. Adventure Comics #400 (1970)

We’re not big fans of this title, but it’s a 400 issue, so here it is. The story and art were provided by Mike Sekowsky, who was famous for creating the Legion of Superheroes and several of the characters in its membership.

14. Captain America #400 (1992)

This cover by Rick Levins and Dan Panosian is pretty bland. Therefore my comment about it is too.

15. Archie Comics #400 (1992)

We weren’t going to do an Archie, but that wouldn’t be fair. Besides, I needed a #16. The Cover is by Rex Lindsey. As for me, it has always been Veronica.

There you have it. And here’s your bonus. On June 14, 2013, I published my 400th post. Here’s a collector’s item limited edition cover for your viewing pleasure.

After writing our post about Zirk, the space pervert, we figured we might as well go ahead with the whole she-bang and give you the covers for the two Eclipse Comics series where you can find the slimy little football-shaped, sex-crazed alien.

A Brief History of Axel Pressbutton

Pedro Henry (real name Steve Moore), is a British comic book writer that got his start during the 1970s in independent comics. He created Axel Pressbutton with Alan Moore (who went by the pseudonym Curt Vile at the time) and introduced him in a series of short strips published in a rock music magazine called Dark Star.

The first appearance of Axel Pressbutton

Axel (as we learn later) was originally a mild-mannered florist that was partially consumed by a carnivorous plant. The experience drove him insane and created a horrific loathing of plant life. We see him destroy plants whenever he encounters them. He may hate plants, but Axel is a violent cyborg and is pretty much always up for any kind of slaughter should the right opportunity present itself. And afterwards, he enjoys a fine cigar. What a gent.

Whomever put Axel back together again after his experience with the man-eating plant had a twisted idea of what an appropriate cyborg configuration ought to be. He was equipped with a chest button that, when pushed, gave him a powerful orgasm. The ecstasy of the experience left him incapable of functioning, so the button was actually more of a hindrance than a benefit … well, at least in battle. When he wasn’t catatonic from his rapture, many died at the slice of the cleaver which was also provided in his corporeal rebuild.

Axel was next portrayed in another British music magazine called Sounds. In it, he pairs up with an attractive clone named Mysta Mistralis (also known as Laser Eraser in her capacity as an intergalactic assassin). She and Axel team up for mayhem, murder, and of course, sex.

This way, there’s no clean up after the party’s over.

Stories about Axel and Mysta were then written and drawn for a British mature audience comic anthology called Warrior. In turn, these were reprinted in mini-series format in the American comic book company, Eclipse Comics. The covers below are from the two series published by Eclipse.

Even though there have been rumors, there are no known plans to resurrect the characters in any current projects. Probably just as well. There are plenty of more violent and sex-crazed stories than these, so Axel and Mysta might seem dated at this point. Oh, well. Here’s to memories.

Axel Pressbutton

Laser Eraser and Pressbutton

And, here’s your bonus. Eclipse went on a 3-D kick in the 1980s and released some of their titles in a 3-D format. Here’s the cover to the one-shot special.

Six from Sirius, created and written by Doug Moench and illustrated by Paul Gulacy was a 4-issue mini-series published by Epic Comics in 1984. The story is self-contained outside any of the other universes in the comic book publishing houses. The story centers around a group of six agents of an intergalactic governmental organization. It’s kind of like a spy story in space.

Epic Comics was a comic book imprint from the Marvel Comics Group. It was created to publish stories like these that often targeted a mature audience. It was also creator-centered, so the writers and artists retained the rights to the books.

Here are the covers to the mini-series.

Six from Sirius mini-series, #1

Six from Sirius mini-series, #2

Six from Sirius mini-series, #3

Six from Sirius mini-series, #4

These biographies are now 29 years out of date but it’s interesting to see what was being said about them back then. Both are a couple of our favorite creators. We liked Doug Moench’s Aztec Ace and Paul Gulacy’s Black Widow(see the images at the bottom of the linked post).

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Hogan’s Heroes was one of our favorite shows growing up. We were too young to see the originals but we watched the episodes over and over in syndication. The premise is absurd and the subject matter may be a bit suspect (are Nazis ever really fun?).

Anyway, capitalizing on the success of TVs and movies by pushing out a variety of by-products such as comic books, toys, and games was even more über ubiquitous in the post-WWII period. All it took was some licensing, plastering a brand on a bit of plastic or metal and, zútalo, we had a winner.

We own issue #1. Yeah, no. Not so funny. Weird, kinda. The zany physical humor of the characters, the smugness of Colonel Hogan’s demeanor, and the music (duh) don’t come across in the comic. Kind of a cold fish.

But anyway, we’re sure you’re here because you’re at least curious about what the covers to the issues look like. Here they are for your viewing pleasure. Note: Issue #9 was actually a reprint of issue #1. The only difference is that Dell charged 3¢ more in 1969 than in 1966 when the first issue came out. Cheap bastards.

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Countdown to Comic-Con!

San Diego Comic-Con 2015July 9th, 2014

Hell returns to Earth. Satyrs rejoice.

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Firewater and Chaser: Relish the Confusion!

We were feeling musical tonight and since we haven’t done one of these in a while, here’s a new Firewater and Chaser combo. Within every genre of pop music, there is a mountain of poo with the occasional gem hidden in the mess. Such it is with death metal. There are soooooooo many bands that […]

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It’s been a while. Time for another liquid burner and chaser. First up…Filter. Formed in 1995. Not really big fans. However, the first album, Short Bus, has an aggressive song that will be today’s eye-melter. The reason we like this song is that it reminds us of an angry day when we were driving too fast down […]

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It’s been a while since we did one of these, so it’s time for another loud and aggressive song followed by a mellow and soft ditty. Up first, Black Sabbath. Yes, we’ve done Sabbath before but besides liking BS (our blog is full of it), we’re pulling from a different iteration of the band. As […]

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Today’s hard swill and chaser combo brings us two versions of “Hafanana.” Boney NEM is up first. Бони НЕМ (Boney NEM) rocks this catchy little ditty with their Russian metal bravado. Who are we to judge their song choice? Keep in mind that these are the same blokes that covered “Strangers in the Night.” Why […]

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Time for another entry in our rot gut & chaser thingy. Today we’re thinking about “Sober” by Tool. Why we likey? It’s a gloriously wrenching song with bleak lyrics sung in soul-bottom anguish. Yes, ultimately it’s a pop song (it went all the way to “13” on the 1994 U.S. pop charts) but pop culture […]

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James Bond

We’ve done a lot of James Bond posts, particularly on the movies. One film we’ve neglected to discuss thus far, however, was 1983’s Never Say Never Again. There are (currently) 23 movies officially sanctioned by the original and subsequently official James Bond franchise. However, there have been two other films and one TV show that also have […]

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… and here are the ones that didn’t make the cut. Following up on Top 10 James Bond Movie Villains, these are the villains that we would have like to include, but just couldn’t justify doing so given our criteria. Nonetheless, they deserve some accolades by the merits that they do have. So: 1. Grant: […]

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The fact that we are enjoying the 50th year of James Bond movies what with all the releases of this and that, caused us to reflect on the James Bond movie franchise again after so many months since our last posts. On our way home from work, we were quoting some of our favorite Bond […]

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Originally posted on LIFE:In the early 1960s, movie producers adapting Ian Fleming’s novels about a suave British spy named James Bond plucked a relative unknown, Sean Connery, from obscurity and offered him the role of a lifetime. When Connery left the franchise after five movies (although he would briefly be back, in 1971, in…

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It’s out! The first trailer for the 23rd outing in the James Bond franchise: Skyfall. Release date in the US is November 9, 2012. HERE ARE SOME ADDITIONAL IMAGES FROM THE MOVIE AND HERE IS THE OFFICIAL POSTER We posted pictures and information on Skyfall and Sam Mendes, the director, in a previous post: Skyfall […]

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